Fifty-one fights. No losses. Three world heavyweight belts, defended seven times. Riyadh Al-Azzawi is the first Arab heavyweight kickboxing world champion, and he has never been beaten. When a man like that chooses what to wear, the choice carries weight. He chose a custom KA-SIG 001.
Riyadh Al-Azzawi in his custom KA-SIG 001, London.
Who is Riyadh Al-Azzawi?
Born in Baghdad, Riyadh won his first gold medal at fifteen and moved to London to build a career. He became WKN world champion at 91 kg and went on to hold the WKN, ISKA and KGP heavyweight titles, the only fighter from the Arab world to do so. Along the way he headlined the Kickboxing Grand Prix in Baghdad, bringing world-class fighting home to Iraq.
Outside the ring he is known as the Golden Champion. The name comes from the gold: gold clothing, gold jewellery, and two gold-wrapped cars, a Ferrari 458 Spider and a Brabus G-Class, that are as recognisable in London and Dubai as the man himself. He wears his success in public, without apology, which is exactly the attitude KOLJA ANNUSSEK is cut for.
We met boxing
Riyadh and I go back to my years in London. We trained at the same gym and met through boxing, long before KOLJA ANNUSSEK existed. You learn a lot about a person when you share a ring with him, and what I saw was a champion who treated every session like a title fight. That is the discipline I want in every piece that leaves my hands.
So when the signature series was ready, he was one of the first people I thought of.
A KA-SIG 001 for a champion
The KA-SIG 001 is the first piece in the KOLJA ANNUSSEK signature series. Every one is custom: cut for the person, finished by hand, numbered, one of one. Riyadh’s was made for him in black, so that the gold he wears with it does the talking.
A fighter’s body is not a standard size. Shoulders, chest and arms built for the heavyweight division need a piece cut to them, not pulled over them. That is what made-to-order is for, and it is why the signature series is never sold off a rail.
The KA family
Riyadh joins a small circle of people who wear the KA-SIG 001 because they wanted it: DJ Antoine, who wears his on stage, and Jeff Hamilton, the emperor of the leather jacket, who received his in Los Angeles. No sponsorships, no contracts. Just people at the top of what they do, choosing a piece that says so.
See the signature series in Paris
The KA-SIG series, the leather pieces including the KA Baller, and the campaign work from New York and Los Angeles are on view in the KOLJA ANNUSSEK private showroom in Paris, by appointment only. Custom pieces are made to order; a piece bought in the showroom is final.
Book your visit at koljaannussek.com/contact-us or write to vip@koljaannussek.com. You can also reach us directly on WhatsApp.
Private Showroom Paris. By appointment only.
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